


Banner Year

by CanuckleheadCowgirl, magnetocerebro



Series: The 495 Marvel Universe [8]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Clint is so protective, Gen, Kidvengers, Kidverse, and adorable, kiddie heroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2020-04-11 17:18:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19114222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanuckleheadCowgirl/pseuds/CanuckleheadCowgirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnetocerebro/pseuds/magnetocerebro
Summary: Now that Clint is finally training to be a hero, he's impatient to get past training into, well, actual hero work. But while he might not be officially on any teams, he's already making a difference standing up for people that others want to use up. And to his dad's surprise, that includes the Hulk!





	1. Let's Work Together, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

 

Clint had eventually worn Scott down, with Jean's help, into a compromise on training to become an X-Man. The deal was that, now that he was eleven, he could  _train_ , but he wasn't allowed on the team yet. But he got to be in all the right classes at the school this semester,  _and_ he was even working on Steve to try to get him to do some Avenger-focused stuff on weekends, since he and the other kids liked to go to the tower with Billy and Teddy when school wasn't in session.

Clint was pretty sure the argument that had won Scott over was the fact that the bad guys were coming after him  _anyways_ , but that had also maybe sort of prompted all the adults to get their heads together on figuring out what to do about the department creeps. Ever since Clint had gotten shot, the Avengers and the X-Men and even some other hero friends of theirs were digging into the department and uprooting projects left and right.

It was almost funny, because watching Steve go on the warpath was cool, but watching him gripe about how he hated being the one the team elected to go deal with  _politicians_ was even funnier.

"You're just so good at giving speeches," Tony had teased him, which got Steve to give him the dirtiest look ever on the way out the door. Tony laughed, shook his head, and then went back to what he was doing — giving K and Logan an overview of what the department had on their family. The  _whole_ family. There had even been information on the kids that didn't have powers but could be used as collateral.

No one was happy about it, but the people looking into it were particularly mad about the focus on James, who wasn't even a year old yet. And Clint would very much like for his little brother to make it to his first ever birthday party without bad guys getting involved.

"So what's your solution, tall, Stark, and handsome?" K asked — unable to  _not_ pick on him when the opportunity arose.

Tony smirked her way. "What, you mean besides the full court press?" he teased right back. "We've got Cap chewing up politicians, we've got the best minds in the world destroying their research before they can even save it on their computers—"

"That doesn't seem like a full court press to me," she said. "I want to know what the plan is when they inevitably decide to go around the legal channels they've been hiding in."

"Oh, that's the part where we destroy them," Tony said without missing a beat. "We can't touch the  _legal_ stuff, but once they come out of their holes?"

K shook her head at that, smirking crookedly. "And how are you gonna do that?"

"You want a sneak peek? I mean, it'll start with sparring, but we'll see where it ends up…"

"If you think you can fight them back with injuries ...I'm game."

"Mom, seriously?" Clint groaned.

"He's the one that wants me to interrogate him," K said. "Since he won't just  _tell me_ what the plan is, I can get it out of him the hard way."

"Try and have a little fun," Tony said, holding up both hands in a gesture of peace.

"Still didn't say 'no,'" K said, smiling now.

"Hey, as much as I'm into you and me and a dark room…"

"You're scared," she said. "And I don't need a dark room, thanks."

"Fer christsakes, just tell her what the hell you have in mind," Logan grumbled. "Because you're talkin' about two entirely different things, and I know for a fact she wants practice on interrogation before she gets a hold of one of these department idiots."

"Now  _that_ is a threat," Tony said, shaking his head. "But honestly, once these guys cross the legal lines the Avengers can't cross? We're sending Thor and Carol for an  _opener_."

"You're opening with Thor?"

"He's pretty pissed off about the whole thing, actually," Tony said. "Something about how 'this is what happens when I leave Midgard' and how if Clint keeps getting in trouble, his  _brother_ is going to get involved. Guy has a thing for keeping adopted kids safe, y'know? Not  _entirely_ sure how I feel about it, but I think I'd wish Loki on my worst enemies, yeah."

"Does that mean I get to play with Loki too?" K asked with a grin. "Because that could be fun…"

"Could be," Tony said.

"I'm kind of okay with nothing happening to me that makes him mad enough to come," Clint chimed in. He wasn't technically  _invited_ to the strategy session, but no one had kicked him out thus far, so he was going to put his two cents in.

"Obviously, I'd prefer we didn't  _need_ him involved," K said. "But it could still be  _fun_."

"Yeah, well, anyway, that's two Asgardians and Carol, not to mention the rest of the team," Tony listed off. "And Cyclops already said the X-Men would step in where SHIELD won't let the Avengers."

Logan made his way toward where K was seated, only pausing to slap Bruce Banner on the back —  _hard_. "Why don't you just drop Banner on 'em?" he said with a smirk. "Seems like a better strategy than makin' Carol break a nail."

Bruce narrowed his eyes and pointedly moved away from Logan. "That's not happening."

"What's wrong? Afraid to stretch a little?" Logan asked, smirking crookedly.

"Little bit dicey, actually," Tony put in. "Ross has been poking his nose in again."

"So drop him on the department and I'll deal with Ross. Guy's a pain anyhow," Logan said as he lifted his mug.

Clint leaned forward. "Who's Ross?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Power-hungry general," Logan summarized. "Wants to get his hands on ol' Brucey here." He accentuated the point with another hard slap on Bruce's shoulder that had him jumping just a bit.

Clint frowned, his nose scrunched up as he looked between an obviously annoyed-looking Bruce and a too-entertained Logan. "So… like the department wants you?"

"In a manner of speaking," Bruce said as he shrugged Logan's hand off and glared harder at him. "Stop that."

"Make me," Logan replied, though that was enough to get Tony to get between the two of them and give Bruce a clear exit  _away_ from Logan.

"Not. Smart," Tony said.

"When was the last time you let loose, Banner?" Logan asked. "Can't be smart to let it bottle up like that. Gettin' twitchy."

" _Smell the testosterone_ ," Carol whispered to K as Bruce glared at Logan for an answer.

"Logan just wants a good brawl," K said as if that was perfectly normal behavior.

"And with the department staying underground…" Carol surmised.

"And Sabretooth dead," K continued, though she left the statement hanging for a moment. "Something will snap."

"Then go find Ross," Carol suggested. "That actually wasn't a bad suggestion."

"Except for the part that if they're prepared for the Hulk, they should be able to catch my sweetheart too," K said. "Subtle isn't usually his strong point. If  _we_  take out Ross,  _he_  gets to hang back with James."

"Oh darn. That sounds so terrible for everyone involved," Carol deadpanned.

"I know. Pesky missions with the girls doing fun things. Oh no!"

"Just wait until your girls are big enough to come too," Carol laughed. "Katie was telling me this morning we have to not destroy all the Hydra bad guys until she's old enough to help."

"Which is great, because with the guys running things, you know we'll have plenty of Hydra for her when she's old enough," K replied without missing a step. "They can say they did it on purpose."

Carol laughed outright. "Seriously. Remind me why the X-Men have you around more than we do? You're  _way_ too much fun for them to hog."

"Because Tony would  _cry_ daily if I was here all the time."

"I see no problem with that."

"Well, in that case …" K smiled her way. "I mean … you did say you had a chance of bringing me a God of Mischief to play with too …"

"I know. We have all the perks," Carol chuckled. "Only thing missing is that school." She snapped her fingers. "Darn."

"In the words of the great poet Alice Cooper …" K started to say. "School's out for summer. School's out  _forever._ "

Carol grinned even wider, nodding along to every word while the boys continued their back and forth discussion. It was getting to a point where Tony was actively trying to keep Logan and Bruce apart when Carol spoke up. "It's decided, then."

"Wait, what?" Clint looked between the girls and the guys, obviously not sure which was the more interesting watch.

"Your mom and I are going to do a little recon," Carol said. "And the guys can stay here and try to  _get it together_."

"I want to come," Clint said quickly. "I've got it together!"

"Sweetheart, we're infiltrating a military facility. You should babysit your dad and brother," K said. She wasn't turning him down outright, not when she knew his protective drive was high and he was itching to be a hero, but she wasn't going to let him get involved in anything he wasn't ready for, either.

"But Dad's trying to pick a fight with the Hulk, and I'm not  _allowed_!"

"Not the first time he's done that," K said as Carol nodded in agreement. "If we could bring Dr. Banner with us without getting caught by the gamma he emits, we would."

"So while you boys get out the rulers, we'll get things done," Carol said, one arm around K's shoulders. "See ya!"

The two of them headed out, and Clint rolled his eyes and turned to Logan. "I can't wait to be thirteen. I hate getting left behind."

"Truth be told, even if you were thirteen, they still wouldn't let you go," Logan told him. "Hell, they wouldn't let half of either team go on this one."

Clint grumbled to himself and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall. "Still hate it. I can keep up. I can heal like you now."

"Yeah, but you noticed they didn't ask me to go either, right?" Logan said. "Even when I'm pickin' on Banner."

"Yeah, but I figured that's because you guys were being dorks," Clint said bluntly.

"No. It's because she wants to keep it to a minimum," Logan told him. "And Carol's one hell of a backup."

"She  _is_ pretty awesome," Clint had to admit.

"Your mom'll be able to get out easy if it's just the two of 'em. A third would have to be able to fly on their own — and the only ones on  _this_ team that can fly can't sneak if their lives depended on it." He finished his statement looking at Tony — who was kind of a perfect example of how right he was.

" _Fine_ ," Clint said, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "Being eleven sucks."

"Being eleven doesn't  _suck_ ," Bruce said. "How many eleven-year-olds do you know that get to hang out at Avengers Tower?"

"That's only 'cause of my parents," Clint said. "I want to  _be_ an Avenger and an X-Man!"

"I thought that was the plan," Bruce said with a confused look as he turned toward Tony.

"If he's still interested when he's old enough, yeah," Tony agreed.

"Ugh. I know that," Clint grumbled. "I just hate waiting."

"You know how many people  _twice_ your age would kill to hear that?" Bruce asked.

Clint narrowed his eyes Bruce's way and then put his head on his crossed arms, face down. "Stop being reasonable," he grumbled, which was more than entertaining to the others.

"Irritating, isn't it?" Logan said. "Bet you can rebound some Milk Duds off his forehead."

Clint picked his head up and smirked at Logan. "Too easy. Especially the green version. Too big a target."

"Nah, he's quicker'n he looks."

Clint finally snickered at that and shrugged. "Okay, where's the Milk Duds?"

"No," Tony said, stepping in front of Bruce. "You're not doing that."

"Looks like you got a volunteer," Logan said out of the corner of his mouth.

"Preliminary round before the finals," Clint said, sizing Tony up. "Mouth's too big a target, though. I'll get him in the nose." With that, he took off running, headed right for the kitchen to grab some candy — and possibly rope the other kids into the game.


	2. Size Difference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Clint does what he does best when faced with a Hulk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note from Mags: Okay, so a quick explanation as to why this story kind of dropped off suddenly. My husband and I got a call for a little girl who we're now in the process of adopting, and it's pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to us. But it has also meant sleepless nights, lots of paperwork, and the sudden thrust in a matter of days from being just the two of us to having a newborn at home. We're finally getting our feet underneath us again, but obviously, fanfic isn't as important to me as my original fiction and my family, sorry. CC and I are still keeping the 714 going strong because we've got that written out FOREVER in advance, and she's been putting out stuff on the stories she leads, but because this one is a story where I'm running the plot... it got sidelined. Can't promise it'll get all the attention it used to get, but I can promise I'm finally getting back into it ;)

 

**Chapter Two: Size Difference**

Anyone watching Bruce Banner with all the kids following him around trying to get him to play with them could see that he wasn't entirely sure what to make of his following of ducklings — especially when Katie started chanting "quack quack" and Clint frantically shushed her.

Tony tried — he really did — to give Bruce some backup, but the final nail in the coffin when it came to stopping the kids in their quest came when Bruce made the cardinal error of telling Katie that he liked her dress. He had been trying to redirect her attention to her dresses and not him, but somehow, he had only ensured that he would remain the kids' focus for the foreseeable future.

Still, it was better than letting Logan and Bruce test each other's boundaries. Logan was obviously ready for a fight — not that Tony blamed the guy. For as much as the Howlett-Barton-Bishop family had been through lately, he'd be itching to hit something too.

Not that he thought that meant Bruce should get in the middle. He just knew where the urge came from.

Still, Tony was thankful when the crowd of kids slowly started to disperse from around Bruce, getting distracted with their own little games. Tommy was trying to entice Katie into a game of hide and seek. Katie wanted to play Defenders instead and kept insisting that Billy had to be Mr. Frank because he had dark hair, so Tommy could be "Foggy, I guess." Which Tommy didn't seem too happy about.

Katie and Tommy were just building up to an argument when they were rudely interrupted — by an explosion that knocked everyone their off their feet.

The first thing that happened in the immediate aftermath of the explosion was that Tony rushed to check on the kids. He could hear them sniffling and was worried one of them might have gotten hurt, but when the worst damage was that Billy had banged his elbow and Katie had a bruise on her knee from falling too hard, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright kiddos," Tony said. "Come on; we need to get out of here  _quick_." He was trying to gather them up even as his AI was running numbers trying to decipher things like the structural integrity around them and who was injured and in need of help.

"Who're we fighting?" Tommy asked eagerly.

" _We_  are not fighting anyone. This is the part where we regroup and make a plan," Tony said.

"That's important too," Clint said, making his way over with Bruce, who looked slightly green, and not from nausea, though he hadn't freaked out, which Tony was counting as a good thing for the moment. "That's what I'm working on learning — remember, Katie? I was telling you how Scott said I can't be an X-Men until I learn about  _plans_?"

Katie rolled her eyes toward Tony, though her desire to tease her big brother was temporarily overriding any fear over the attack. "He's  _always_ talking about the team, you know. It's because Scott let him do training now 'cause he keeps getting got."

"And that's what we're going to work on avoiding today," Tony said as he got them moving. He stopped and did a quick head count. "Where's the tiny one?"

Clint swivelled and frowned. "James was with Dad, but I don't see them…"

"I have him!" Jan called out. "I have him! It's good, but we should  _go_."

"We can hide in the walls," Katie told Billy, grabbing his and Tommy's hands so she could lead the way. "Mom has things written in the walls so we can know where we're going, and they're kid-sized!"

"No, no no no no no nooooooo," Tony called back. "We need to go to a different building. No hiding in the walls!"

"Awww, but it's fun!" Katie pouted.

"You can hide in the walls when there's not explosions," Clint told her, trying to help. "But if there's an explosion and the wall you're in gets hit, you're not safe."

"Oh," Katie said, her eyes wide; she clearly hadn't considered that.

"It's okay, though!" Jan promised. "We'll get some more marks in the ductwork when your mom gets back. I'm  _sure_ she can come up with more!"

"Oooh, yes!" Katie nodded and bounced slightly, still holding onto Tommy and Billy's hands as the gaggle followed Jan and Tony out, with Bruce taking up the rear and doing what he could to make sure the kids didn't fall behind or get distracted.

"Logan's already down there," Jan said — more to Tony than the kids. "He um … he took a shortcut. He was a little mad."

"Wonder why," Tony said dryly.

"It's a mystery," Jan replied with a smile.

"It's 'cause he's  _real_ tired of his kids being where danger is," Katie informed Jan in a perfectly matter-of-fact tone. "He said so."

"That makes sense," Jan said. "And I have to agree, but we have to get you guys  _out_ of danger so he can do what needs to be done. Right?"

"I'm helping!" Katie promised, holding up the hands that were holding Tommy's and Billy's as proof.

"She's dragging," Tommy muttered, and Katie stuck her tongue out at him.

"Then don't be so slow!" she shot back, earning a noise of pure  _offense_ from Tommy.

James let out a noise that spoke to how unhappy he was with all the noise and the fuss going on around them, which got half the kids to focus on him for a moment anyhow. Especially since he didn't usually complain like that. But it got them all moving. Jan was half-wrapped around him and cooing to him as she tried to get him to settle down, but the upset baby's cries weren't doing Banner any  _good_.

"It's okay, buddy," Jan said as she snuggled James, but it was clear he wasn't settling down as quickly as anyone would have liked. It wasn't an angry sort of cry but one that was obviously upset and confused.

"I can hold him when we get to a car or jet or something," Clint offered. "When he's crying, sometimes it works better if one of us gets him if Mom and Dad can't."

"Yeah, he still sometimes gets upset," Katie said. "Remember when Mom and Dad and Clint were gone?  _I_ was super upset too!"

The closer the little group got to the lower levels, the more chaos was ruling over the scene. Most of the other Avengers were trying to get the military presence outside of the building to back off — and to  _stop firing_ on Logan, who was worked right up into a solid rage. Kurt and Wanda were doing their level best to both keep the building from outright collapsing and to get people out that couldn't get through the wreckage and fires that were breaking out all over the building and surrounding areas.

"That's my parents," Billy told Jan in a stage whisper, his eyes wide. "We should go help them!"

"No, no," Jan said, obviously not expecting them to want to dive into a mess like this. "We have to get everyone safe! Don't you want to help with James?"

"Oh, right." Billy was frowning toward the chaos. "It's just… I want Mom and Dad to be okay too," he said, which was the moment Jan realized this was the first time Billy or Tommy had seen their parents at their  _jobs_.

"Your mom and dad will be more than fine. They're going to be  _amazing_  because they're heroes and they know what they're doing. But this little guy?" She tipped James so that Billy could see how upset he was. "He needs someone to watch out for him."

Billy bit his lip and then nodded seriously. "Okay. I'll watch out for him."

Which was all well and good when it came to evacuating, but to Tony's alarm, when he looked over at Bruce to check on him, the big guy didn't look so good either. His gaze was locked onto the fight down below and the soldiers around Logan, and Tony honestly wasn't sure what was bothering him more: the uniforms or the clearly enraged Wolverine.

And then James let out the tiniest whimpering cry, and that was it. The next second, the Hulk was barreling toward the fight — and didn't seem to care much if Logan or the soldiers were his target.

"Oh, wow, is that his superpower?" Billy asked at the same time Tony started swearing himself blue.

And even though Logan had been halfway baiting Banner the whole time they'd been at the tower with him, as soon as he actually started to fight him, Logan did try to get him to stop. Even if he was hitting him  _hard_ , too.

"Why's he fighting  _Dad_?" Katie asked urgently, tugging on Tony's sleeve. "Dad's a good guy!"

"He knows that," Tony defended. "But your dad and the Hulk just… don't get along."

"But he didn't attack  _us,_ " Clint reasoned. "He went for the fight. So he's not  _stupid_."

"No, he's not," Jan agreed. "He's just mad."

Clint nodded thoughtfully, obviously working something over, but it wasn't until Logan took a hit that knocked the two of them apart that Clint  _did_ anything. And then, all at once, he had rushed forward out of Jan and Tony's reach and all but skidded to a stop in front of the Hulk, complete with skinned knees and wide eyes.

"Hey, so, you're absolutely focused the wrong way. My dad isn't the bad guy here okay? The idiots with guns are. So stop making a mess and help me take 'em down!"

It was such a brazen move that no one knew what to do. Even the Hulk looked stunned, staring down at this kid who had no business taking him on but who was there all the same.

"Come on," Clint said, already turning to the fight. "I bet I can get more than you!"

And just like that, it was like a switch had been flipped, and the Hulk  _grinned_ , running ahead of Clint to bash a path — which had Clint cackling gleefully.

"No cheating!"

"Do we… do we do something?" Jan whispered urgently to Tony, holding onto his arm.

"What do you want to  _do_?" Tony replied quietly.

Jan looked down at James in her arms. "I don't know? Something?"

"Right," Tony said in a breath. "Hey! Hawkeye! Come on, bud, we gotta get your dad out of here so your mom doesn't get mad at  _all of us_."

"Five more minutes!" Clint called back in a laugh. He was  _trying_ to keep up with the Hulk, and to everyone's surprise, the Hulk was letting him, even if he was taking all the soldiers down before the could even look at Clint. It was actually a very effective way to get the Hulk to focus on the fight and not Logan: the big guy obviously didn't want Clint hurt but was too entertained by his enthusiasm to shut him out either.

"I'll get Logan," Tony said as the armor fired up. "Take the kids out of here; you know the place."

Jan nodded quickly, grabbing Katie's hand before she could also get in trouble — and trusting Katie to rope the Wagner-Maximoff boys into following her. Which they did.

That just left Clint and the Hulk behind. Which would have been more fun if Clint could actually fight, but at least the big guy was letting him play.

Somehow, by the time the last of the soldiers was forced to turn tail, the Hulk had scooped Clint up in the course of the fight to keep him from getting trampled underfoot, which was how a grinning Clint ended up meeting up with the other Avengers on the Hulk's shoulders.

"Any word back from Carol and K yet?" Tony asked quietly once they were well away from the 'authorities'.

Jan shook her head, her attention occupied by all of Logan and K's dramatic kids. "No… but I doubt they missed this if they're paying any attention at all."

"You're assuming they're going to listen to the news when they're covering their own tails, though," Tony pointed out.

"Those ladies can multitask. You underestimate us girls!" Jan defended.

"I'm not underestimating anything to do with them," Tony replied. "I know better."

"Smart man." Jan smirked, then waved as the Hulk set Clint down and he came running over to them.

"That was  _so much fun,"_ Clint gasped, his face flushed with adrenaline.

"Bud, that wasn't fun; that was borderline psychotic," Tony said.

"Umm have  _you_ ever gotten to ride on the Hulk's shoulders? Because it  _is_ fun!"

"Yeah, no," Tony said, trying to direct him toward a path to exit. "That's just you."

"I knew he'd be alright if he knew who the bad guys were," Clint explained happily.

"All we'll need to do is set him up with a baby bjorn, and you'll be set to go," Tony teased. "He can cart you around in a backpack to point him the right way."

"I'm down," Clint said without missing a beat.

"Maaaaybe not," Jan said, pulling a face. "Come on, buddy. We still need to regroup after all that."

" _Right_." Clint nodded and then looked toward Logan, rushing over to check on him. "You okay? They were shooting you even  _before_ the Hulk showed up, so it had to be brutal, and I know it hurts getting shot just  _once_ …"

"I'm fine," Logan grumbled. "Just ticked off they were there at all. Shouldn'ta been."

"Yeah, they looked like, um, I mean, Tony said the Hulk's been having issues, but they looked…  _department_ -like."

"Department  _is_ a military outfit," Logan replied, honestly confused, since he thought Clint knew that much.

"Yeah, but when I was hanging out with the Hulk, they were targeting him. And I thought they were, you know, an our family problem."

"They screwed with a lot of people," Logan said. "They'd love to get a hold of your mom or me, but they sure as hell wouldn't complain if they could manage to down the Hulk, either."

Clint pulled a face and looked toward where a suddenly much smaller Banner was talking with Jan and looking rather shocked himself. "That's stupid," he said. "He's an Avenger. And he's not a mutant, so people, you know,  _care_  more, as dumb as it is that people don't care about mutants, I mean."

"Except the Hulk has a history of doin' a lot of damage," Logan pointed out. "They don't care if they're scared of whoever it is."

"Huh." Clint shook his head. "Still stupid," he decided — and marched himself over to Bruce to wave and catch his attention. "You okay? I don't know about how you and the Hulk work, but I know getting shot hurts, and you got shot a few times while you were big and green."

"Oh, yeah, hi there," Bruce said haltingly. "I'm — I'm fine. Thanks." He looked from Clint over to Tony with a questioning expression. "Why is he worried again?"

"Kid followed you," Tony said as gently as he could. "Apparently, he and the Hulk get along. Which is weird when you consider his dad."

"Huh," Bruce looked just as shocked as the others at the news. "Are you sure you didn't get hurt, Clint?"

Clint gestured with his arms out wide. "Nah, I'm fine. I got singed a bit, but that healed right up, no problem. Besides, you were fighting my dad. You needed someone to remind you who the bad guys were," he said in a perfectly matter-of-fact tone. "You weren't gonna hurt me."

Bruce looked a little frustrated at the declaration. "There's no way for you to know that."

"Sure there is," Clint said, still sounding perfectly reasonable. "You didn't go crazy and hurt any of us even when we were annoying —  _and_ you were focused on the fight, so I knew that's where you wanted to be. You just needed reminding."

"Let him be," Logan advised. "Banner's totally different than the Hulk."

"Yeah, the Hulk's more fun," Clint said with a crooked grin. "Even if he hogged all the bad guys — even though I  _told_ him I could shoot 'em just fine."

"He's just like that," Logan agreed.

Clint nodded, then turned more serious as he locked gazes with Bruce again. "But really, me and my family deal with the department a  _lot_. So if they come after you again, you can call us if you need to. It's not right for them to try and grab you or me or anyone."

"Clint, if they manage to catch the Hulk and get 'im back to their base, they're gonna get everything they asked for," Logan said.

"Then we can't let 'em do that," Clint said, his arms crossed before he stopped, turned, and pointed a finger at Tony. "You guys are Avengers. You should be doing something about the department! Them and anyone else who think kidnapping and forcing people to work for them is okay. That's what Avengers  _do_."

"No," Logan laughed. "I mean they'll get what's comin' to 'em." He chuckled to himself. "I've seen him do real damage on those creeps before. It'd be hilarious."

Clint shook his head stubbornly. "Doesn't matter. It still shouldn't happen. I mean, you know it still hurts when you get caught. And maybe the Hulk doesn't get  _stopped_ , but it hurts when he gets hit. You can tell because he gets all tense and more upset when he's getting shot than when he's just frustrated."

"Uh huh," Logan said — and even went so far as to sock Banner in the shoulder as he passed him by.

"So… can we get ice cream now?" Katie cut in, looking up at Logan with her eyes wide and her long eyelashes fluttering. "There was a fight, so now there's ice cream, right?"

"As long as we get offa the street first," Logan said.

"Oh, I guess," Katie said, pouting dramatically before she grinned, spun around, and made a dash for the other Avengers. "Uncle Kurt! 'Port me to ice cream! I can't wait!"


	3. Explain Yourself, Clint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Clint is in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not very fast at updating, so we're focusing mostly on CC-led projects, but I'm still alive, I promise! -mags

The kids were all finally coming down from adrenaline and sugar-fueled highs by the time everyone really got settled in. The Avengers wouldn't be at the tower for a while until the damage was repaired, but Tony had secondary (and tertiary) sites set up for just this kind of thing, so it didn't take too long for everyone to get relaxed and semi-comfortable.

Except, of course, for Steve, who looked like he was turning as red as his uniform when Clint saw him.

"You okay, Cap?" Clint asked, genuinely concerned.

"What were you  _thinking_?" Steve started out. "You were supposed to get clear of the incident, not …  _ride the Hulk into battle._ "

Clint blinked, surprised by how  _upset_ Steve was about the whole thing, and then held his hands up in a gesture of peace. "That part wasn't my idea. The big guy didn't want to worry about stepping on me, okay?"

"You didn't have a plan going into it — and even if you  _did_ , you were supposed to  _evacuate_."

"Yeah, but he and my dad were pounding on each other, and the soldiers were targeting them both," Clint pointed out.

"He and your Dad  _always end up pounding each other_ ," Steve pointed out.

Clint narrowed his eyes and tipped his chin up. "Yeah, but listen to what I'm saying about how the  _department soldiers were targeting them_. Somebody had to remind 'em where the fight was — or they'd end up getting grabbed soon as they wore each other down. Duh."

"That's not … Clint. That would have taken  _hours_ ," Steve said.

"They'd already been shooting up my dad," Clint pointed out.

Steve blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"That's what the department  _does_ to my dad," Clint said in a frustrated tone. "They shoot him up until he can't  _walk_."

Steve turned to look at Logan to corroborate, and when Logan simply shrugged in response, Steve shook his head. "That …. Why would they  _do_ that?" He held up one hand. "I know why the Canadians would, but why would  _Ross_?"

"Dad says the Department would like to get the Hulk too, and they're part of the military too, so…" Clint shrugged openly. "I dunno. Villain teamup? Don't those things happen with you guys — or is that just in the comics from the '50s my mom let me read?"

"The Department is half in with the Americans," Logan said as he took a seat. "Thought you knew that. They've been cooperatin' since the start of the Cold War."

When Steve's frown just kept growing, Clint let out a sigh. "See, this is why you and Scott were doing all that talking, I thought. Don't you know about how those guys chased me and my mom through Washington D.C. back before she was even officially my mom?"

"I thought that was just the other side," Steve admitted. "I didn't think it was our guys too."

'It's always been both, Cap," Logan said.

"And anyway, bad guys are bad guys," Clint said with a shrug. "So yeah, I saw 'em targeting my dad and the Hulk, and I don't really care how long a shot it is for them to get screwed. They're not getting screwed on my watch."

"You okay with your kid adopting Banner like that?" Steve asked after a beat, clearly trying to find some humor while he processed it all.

"Like I got a say in who he decides he likes," Logan deadpanned.

Clint grinned even wider. "The Hulk's  _fun_. You just gotta know how to talk to him," he told Steve excitedly. "He's a giant goofball if you ask him to compete — and he wouldn't let me get close to danger even after I told him I'd been training with the X-Men  _and_ I can heal."

Steve stared at him for a long moment. "Your kid's weird, Logan."

"Pot, kettle," Logan called back. "At least he ain't wearing star-spangled pj's."

"No, but Mom got me some new long johns for Christmas Eve at the cabin," Clint said.

"She got those for everyone," Logan laughed. "More or less."

"Yeah, Katie thinks they're bunny outfits," Clint laughed.

"Say that louder and they might end up bein' bunny outfits," Logan told Clint quietly.

Clint grinned crookedly. "I'll write it on a sticky note for Mom when she gets home."

"Won't stop her callin' you duck fluff, though," Logan pointed out.

"Are you sure?" Clint asked, one eyebrow raised. "It could be  _juuuust_ enough of a distraction!"

Logan chuckled and messed up Clint's hair worse than it already was. "Yeah, never gonna happen. You can be bald and she'll still call you duck fluff."

Clint tried unsuccessfully to rescue his hair from Logan but kept getting it messed up again as soon as he got it lying flat. "You're totally on her side. It's not fair!"

"I'd be stupid to be on anyone else's side," Logah laughed. "Married her for a reason, kiddo."

"Yeah, well, don't forget I saw her first," Clint said, leveling his finger at Logan — because it was a tease he'd never, ever, let up on.

"Still not gonna let that go, eh?"

"Nope. Because it's always gonna be true," Clint replied without missing a beat.

"Save it for when she's around to hear it," Logan told him quietly.

Clint shrugged. "Okay," he said, then turned to Steve. "I'm gonna go hang out with my brother and sister — unless you still want to get mad at me for helping Dad and Bruce?"

"No, go do what you were going to do," Steve said in a breath, and as Clint left, he continued, "You were going to anyhow."

* * *

When Clint got to the mansion for the weekend, the  _other_ leader of a superheroic team came to talk to him about his life decisions. As expected.

Or, well,  _almost_ as expected.

Instead of coming at him and demanding that Clint explain how he could be so  _stupid_ , Scott stopped in front of him, frowning hard, before he asked, simply, "Walk me through what happened."

Clint grinned, glad that  _someone_ was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on not being totally crazy. "It was kind of amazing, not gonna lie," he said, trying not to look like he was  _too_ happy about it or he'd get accused of rushing in for the thrill of it.

"I meant what happened  _before_ you decided to take a nearly suicidal ride on the Hulk," Scott said dryly.

"It wasn't suicidal," Clint argued. "It  _wasn't_. I knew he wasn't going to hurt me!"

"But  _how_?" Scott pressed. "I'm not saying you didn't know what you were doing. But I need to know how you got there. I don't want this to just be a  _lucky guess_. If it was, you might not be so lucky next time."

Clint shook his head quickly. "It wasn't a guess," he said, but when Scott held his gaze, he sighed, knowing he'd have to explain it  _again_. "Look, I pay attention, okay? I could see that Mr. Banner was upset because James was upset, and I watched the Hulk when he started transforming. He moved  _away_ from us and  _toward_ the fight. He wasn't going to let us kids get hurt. So I figured when he got distracted with his grudge match with my dad, if one of the people he wanted to keep  _safe_ came to remind him what was what, that would work better than people he was actively fighting trying to talk him down." He shrugged. "It makes sense."

Scott frowned for a long time and then, finally, gestured for Clint to sit with him. "You scared everyone there, Clint. No one knew what you were thinking."

"I didn't have time to explain…"

"And if you'd been wrong?" Scott asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I wasn't."

Scott pinched the bridge of his nose. That response was  _so_ much like his parents that Scott had to pause a moment before he even tried to respond. Finally, he said, "That's not the point. The point is that you ran in on a  _theory_. Even if you were right this time, you might not be right the next time."

Clint shook his head. "It wasn't a theory," he said. "I knew the Hulk wouldn't hurt me, because I  _saw_ him avoiding us when he was growing into a giant. And he spent the whole fight shielding me." He crossed his arms and tipped his head up. "I might not know strategies like you do, but I know  _people_. I know who I can trust."

Scott held Clint's gaze for a moment longer before he finally nodded. "This is why you're in training, Clint," he said. "Because you rush in. Your instincts are good, but you  _need_ backup. And your backup can't help you if you don't  _tell_ them what you're thinking."

"The Avengers don't have telepathic links, and I  _told_ you there wasn't time," Clint insisted. "But seeing as everyone's so bent outta shape, I'll  _try_ and send up smoke signals or something," he added, rolling his eyes.

"Clint, this is serious."

"Don't you think I know that?" Clint shot back. "They were shooting at my  _dad_. It was the same department that shot me, too — before they even knew I could heal! I know what those guys can do, okay?"

"But you've never faced the Hulk," Scott started to say, but Clint cut him off with an irritated noise.

"So? You guys face bad guys for the first time all the time, and you have to act on first impressions and instincts and  _cheating_ from Jean, don't you?" Clint said. "I know what I saw, and I know what I knew, and I ran with it. That's what you're supposed to  _do_."

Scott massaged his forehead. "This wasn't the first time the  _Avengers_ have dealt with the Hulk. You had others around you who know the guy — both versions of him. But you did your own assessment."

"And I was right," Clint said again.

Scott sighed. "Clint…"

"Still right."

"That's not—" Scott let out a breath of frustration. "I just need you to be more  _careful_ , Clint. I don't want you to be more reckless now that you're training with us — and especially now that you can heal."

"Um, Scott, I don't know if anyone told you, but it still  _hurts_. I'm not  _stupid_."

"I didn't say you were."

"Good." Clint got to his feet, then decided to give Scott a break. "For the record, you're taking this a lot better than Cap did. I thought he was gonna have a heart attack right in front of me."

"Maybe I should have one too," Scott said, only half-joking.

"Aww, don't do that. Jean and Rachel and the twins need you around!" With that, Clint flashed Scott a  _huge_ smile and then bounced off before Scott could figure out how to turn the conversation back to getting the kid to be more  _careful_.

* * *

When Carol and K got back to the  _new_ Avengers' headquarters — since the tower was a mess — the two of them looked positively wind-whipped and almost breathless from whatever it was they'd been doing. It was pretty clear they'd gone  _out_ after the mission, too, because neither of them were in uniform at all — casual wear only. But if the flash drive K was twirling between her fingers was any indicator, they had more intel to look through regarding what exactly General Ross was up to.

"What made you think we needed a distraction  _that big_?" K asked Tony when he spotted the two of them and let out a sigh of relief.

"Wasn't us — they came to us. Your timing was just …"

"Awesome," Carol said. "We had our run of the place without even really trying." She pointed at Tony. "Oh, I should tell you. We got all this done off camera. Didn't need the help."

K slipped over to where Logan was looking pretty wiped out on the couch and took a moment to wrap her arms around him from behind and steal a little kiss. "You get it out of your system?"

"For today, anyhow," Logan agreed. James was curled up, sleeping on his father without a care in the world.

"He got to fight the Hulk!" Katie informed K, running over to wrap her up in a hug at the knees.

"Oh good," K said, resting her hand on Katie's head. "He said he needed to stretch. Who did  _you_ beat up, then?"

"I wasn't 'llowed to because of how I was watching out for Billy and Tommy," Katie said, looking perfectly disappointed.

"That's good, though. They're still brand-spanking-shiny-and new, and they need someone clever and quick to keep them out of trouble," K told her before she let her voice drop to a stage whisper. "I mean …  _Kurt and Wanda_ are their parents … that's all kinds of trouble."

Katie giggled delightedly and nodded. "And Billy told me about how they met their grandpa with the cape and their grandma who's super evil! They got lots of stuff to worry about!"

"They sure do. So they're lucky to have you on their side, right?" K picked her up and hugged her tightly, then shifted her to her hip and handed her the flash drive. "Keep a good hold on that. Iron Man's gonna want it, and we have to make him work for it. Got it?"

Katie nodded dutifully. "What should I make 'im do to get it?" she asked, completely serious.

K looked over at Carol and sidestepped her way closer so that Katie was in between the two of them. "What do you think, Captain Marvel?"

"It's gotta be something good," Carol said. "He gets everything too easy otherwise."

Katie pushed her lower lip out and then lit up. "Oooh, I got it!" she said. "I got it! He's gotta get a  _ring_ for Miss Jan! Cuz of how she wants one!"

"We don't want to  _kill him_ ," K said - loud enough for Tony to hear it. "He could have a heart attack if we tell him that."

"And he's  _very_ delicate," Carol agreed, nodding sagely. "But if you think Jan is the key, we could maybe let her help figure out what to do."

"If we're gonna  _use_ that intel, you girls might want to pick a finish line that ain't ten years down the line," Logan called out.

"He's got to set up more cross-team practices," Carol said. "There is no way we can let these kids all end up being X-Men."

"Um, 'scuse me, but my brother's bein' an X-Man-Avenger," Katie said, her hands on her hips. "And so am I, when I get big enough. We don't gotta  _pick_."

"Well excuse me, Miss Purple-Bow Kate," Carol teased. "I just want you around more to take old Iron Man down a few notches."

"If you're nice — and lucky — then Miss Carol might even teach you to fly when you're older," K whispered to Katie. "Maybe just make sure Tony asks Jan  _out_ on a real date."

"Oh, and not just where they stay home and eat popcorn," Kate said, nodding her understanding.

"Yes," K said. "Tell him where they need to go to be romantic."

"Somewhere … somewhere pretty," Katie said thoughtfully. "With a beach. No mountains, cuz that's where my first mom died, and I don't want Miss Jan to get hurt, so no skiing or nothing, mkay?"

"Can I please have that flash drive, Miss Katie?" Tony asked in a tired tone with his hand out. "No skiing. Not even waterskiing."

"Only if you promise you'll take her somewhere  _super romantic_ ," Katie said, holding the drive tight.

"He doesn't know where that might be," Carol stage whispered to Katie.

"You gotta take her to the beach to look at the stars on the water," Katie insisted. "And… and you have to have dinner with  _candles_."

Tony spared a half-hearted glare at Carol and K but bucked up to cover his heart with one hand. "On my life, I'll take her to the beach with the candles and the whole nine.  _Now_ can I get that drive?"

Katie sized him up carefully. "I dunno…"

"He's gotta ask her first," K said into Katie's hair. "She might not wanna go if he doesn't ask."

Katie nodded. "Yeah, you gotta ask her. Cuz you kiiiiinda look like you might not."

Tony looked supremely flustered as he spun on his heel to face Jan — who, like Carol, looked like she was barely holding back the giggles. "Jan. Miss Van Dyne. Would you  _please_ consider stepping out of the loonie bin with me for a night?"

"Well, not if it's just for the flash drive," Jan said — just holding it together enough to reply before she started laughing.

By that time, Logan had heard enough, and he got to his feet quickly. He made his way over to where the girls were giving Tony a hard time, then handed James to Carol before he picked up Katie and hung her upside down to tickle her until she was squealing with laughter. When he pulled her back up, he put his hand out for the drive. "Come on, Katie. No games. We want to catch the creeps, right?"

"O-kaaay," Katie said, relinquishing the drive at last. "Just for  _you_ , Daddy."

Logan kissed her cheek then turned toward Tony to slap the drive in his hand. "You owe me, Stark." Then, he turned to Carol. "And you've been drinking without me. Come on, let's teach the kids how to play poker. The twins should know early for as diabolical as the family is."


End file.
